A quick excerpt from Slednecks weekly email........words well thought out.
A Little Wisdom from the Free-Bird
We asked our team to give us a quick New Year’s resolution for all Slednecks to check out and have some fun and laughs with... Shad Free took it to another level. Shad is one of the original Slednecks and his resolution was a bit deeper than the rest of the boys. His words, these words, needed their own venue.
Every year it seems the anticipation of the upcoming season can be overwhelming. From preparing physically to building new sleds, the sport of snowmobiling can take up so much time and energy that the urgency of wanting to ride can drive you crazy.
This season is not unlike so many before, but with the one exception being that our snow has delayed its arrival. The anxiety and need for that deep snow feeling rules my world from October until spring. With a little bit of fresh snow this past weekend, that feeling became a reality. It reminded me that the real reason I ride snowmobiles is because of a true love. A true love for the sport of snowmobiling that is unlike any I have had for the other sports in my life. It isn’t about filming or being a sled star, it isn’t about modified sleds or having an endless list of sponsors, and it isn’t about racing. It is that feeling of the deep snow flying into your face, not being able to see or breathe because the snow is packed into your helmet and goggles. That feeling of knowing that you and you’re riding partner are the only ones tearing up the un-touched 3 feet of fresh snow. It’s about that feeling of being on top of a mountain at 10,000 feet. Or the feeling of being completely out of energy and fuel because you rode so hard. The list goes on. These feelings are unlike any other in the world and we are all so lucky to be able to enjoy it.
I know that we all have our reasons as to why we ride snowmobiles. If for one minute, we all asked ourselves why we ride, the answers would all be very close. And, if in that one minute we all thought about how much we love it, maybe we would do more for it.
It took me a few paragraphs to get to this point so thank you for bearing with me. We, as snowmobilers all need to make a New Year’s resolution. A resolution to be better snowmobilers. To be sure and help preserve what many politicians and environmentalist are trying to take away from us. We need to be better snowmobilers so that in the future we will be able to ride places like Mt. Jefferson . With that said, my New Year’s resolution is to be better to the sport I truly love. We ALL need to be better snowmobilers from now until eternity, and if we don’t do our best, the sport could be gone, or at the very least, limited before we can do anything about it.
I know the last statement may be difficult for some to believe. But the reality is that the powers in control of our public lands are not in favor of us. A friend of mine recently overhead somebody saying snowmobiling is no longer “politically correct”. I am blown away by this statement, as it certainly hits a nerve. It made me realize that even with support, we have an uphill battle in trying to keep our riding areas open for future generations. The manufactures, the aftermarket companies and we (the riders), are the only ones that can preserve and save the sport we all love.
I hope all of you had safe and a wonderful Holiday Season. To all of the fans and friends of SLEDNECKS, I say thank you for all of your support. And to my family, friends and sponsors (you know who you are), Thank You for all of the support throughout the years!
Shad Free #108
A Little Wisdom from the Free-Bird
We asked our team to give us a quick New Year’s resolution for all Slednecks to check out and have some fun and laughs with... Shad Free took it to another level. Shad is one of the original Slednecks and his resolution was a bit deeper than the rest of the boys. His words, these words, needed their own venue.
Every year it seems the anticipation of the upcoming season can be overwhelming. From preparing physically to building new sleds, the sport of snowmobiling can take up so much time and energy that the urgency of wanting to ride can drive you crazy.
This season is not unlike so many before, but with the one exception being that our snow has delayed its arrival. The anxiety and need for that deep snow feeling rules my world from October until spring. With a little bit of fresh snow this past weekend, that feeling became a reality. It reminded me that the real reason I ride snowmobiles is because of a true love. A true love for the sport of snowmobiling that is unlike any I have had for the other sports in my life. It isn’t about filming or being a sled star, it isn’t about modified sleds or having an endless list of sponsors, and it isn’t about racing. It is that feeling of the deep snow flying into your face, not being able to see or breathe because the snow is packed into your helmet and goggles. That feeling of knowing that you and you’re riding partner are the only ones tearing up the un-touched 3 feet of fresh snow. It’s about that feeling of being on top of a mountain at 10,000 feet. Or the feeling of being completely out of energy and fuel because you rode so hard. The list goes on. These feelings are unlike any other in the world and we are all so lucky to be able to enjoy it.
I know that we all have our reasons as to why we ride snowmobiles. If for one minute, we all asked ourselves why we ride, the answers would all be very close. And, if in that one minute we all thought about how much we love it, maybe we would do more for it.
It took me a few paragraphs to get to this point so thank you for bearing with me. We, as snowmobilers all need to make a New Year’s resolution. A resolution to be better snowmobilers. To be sure and help preserve what many politicians and environmentalist are trying to take away from us. We need to be better snowmobilers so that in the future we will be able to ride places like Mt. Jefferson . With that said, my New Year’s resolution is to be better to the sport I truly love. We ALL need to be better snowmobilers from now until eternity, and if we don’t do our best, the sport could be gone, or at the very least, limited before we can do anything about it.
I know the last statement may be difficult for some to believe. But the reality is that the powers in control of our public lands are not in favor of us. A friend of mine recently overhead somebody saying snowmobiling is no longer “politically correct”. I am blown away by this statement, as it certainly hits a nerve. It made me realize that even with support, we have an uphill battle in trying to keep our riding areas open for future generations. The manufactures, the aftermarket companies and we (the riders), are the only ones that can preserve and save the sport we all love.
I hope all of you had safe and a wonderful Holiday Season. To all of the fans and friends of SLEDNECKS, I say thank you for all of your support. And to my family, friends and sponsors (you know who you are), Thank You for all of the support throughout the years!
Shad Free #108
